Refusal
by TheCuddleFox
Summary: Sans recognizes a genocidal maniac as... an old friend? But it couldn't be possible, she died generations ago; he was still human at the time. The story of two brothers and how they became skeletons. Taking place 200 years before & leading up to the events of Undertale. -Potential Chara/Sans pairing. Gender neutral Frisk, Female Chara, Rated T for Violence & Language
1. Prologue

**Hello there! If you a returning viewer, I brushed up on the Prologue and added a bunch to it. It didn't feel just right yet, too short. If you're new, then welcome! I hope you enjoy my fanfiction. :)**

 **This story will cover the events of the neutral, pacifist, and genocide routes.**

 **Also, SPOILER WARNING.**

 **-TCF**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Sans was bored. It was a regular day, with him at his sentry station waiting for humans and like normal, nobody would come. This was fortunate for him, considering he had a grim responsibility to upkeep as should said humans appear, he would have to murder them.

 _"It's not murder," Asgore had said, "Just think of it like… removing a cavity."_

 _A cavity._ It sickened Sans that Asgore would make himself think that. Under usual circumstances, the king would never resort to violence. Disgusting.

They treated it as if they were doing the underground a favor by ending a life. Yet now, Sans had a new promise he was much more willing to upkeep. He had a choice.

The next human that came through, he would either kill them and do his job, or he would uphold his promise and protect them. Simply just to please a lady he had never met face to face.

He wouldn't have agreed to this, had it not been her tone of voice. She sounded so sad, no longer laughing much at his jokes. It broke his heart.

 _"If a human ever comes through this door… Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?"_

He made a promise to some lady, and he didn't even know her name. Sans hated promises, but he still did it for some stupid reason. He had regretted it immediately.

Papyrus was off recalibrating his puzzles, so Sans took the opportunity he had to visit the door to the RUINS and tell that lady on the other side about his obligations.

The snow crunched satisfyingly under his slippers. He carefully stepped over a twig, not wanting to break it but at the same time too lazy to move it himself. As the huge door came into view, he felt a disturbance. Yet something seemed off, like there was a presence missing. Just as he was approaching the door to knock, it began to rumble slowly, prying open. The skeleton quickly hid behind a bush, just in time to see what looked like a human emerge from the darkness. Somehow, he could tell it was only an act. It was pretending to be what it wasn't.

Sans held his breath, while staring at the figure. It was wearing a blue and purple striped shirt, with short, brown hair. The thing that seemed off, though, was its hands. They were covered with dust. And it was smiling. The human continued to walk, showing little emotion but an empty smile and Sans pursued, careful to stay hidden. The human stepped on the twig, cracking loudly, but seemed as if it didn't even notice. It continued onwards to the bridge and stopped, as if expecting something. He crept up slowly behind the human, but he knew the human was aware of his presence. He spoke.

"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

The human didn't move. It seemed to freeze in place upon hearing his voice, as if in shock.

"Turn around and shake my hand."

Slowly, but surely the human turned, revealing their face and grabbing Sans' hand. He could feel the dust rubbing off on his bones, making him sick. Something seemed so familiar. He stared deeply into the blank eyes in front of him when he finally recognized that expression. That smile, those familiar red eyes. They were dancing in confusion, Sans assumed they had expected a different face from his voice. A crude sound could be heard whirring from his hand. He would have to keep up his act. _Just continue to be fake._

He painted on a goofy expression and spoke.

"Hehe, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick." He chuckled softly, _fake._

"I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton."

He smiled warmly at the empty face. _Still fake._ His life was a lie. He knew that cold, empty face anywhere; it seemed impossible, how many years had it been? At least two hundred since he'd seen those eyes.

 _Chara. It's been a while._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Note: Sans is actually a word. It means "without."**

 **So, yeah. This is my first fanfiction ever. This idea just kept bridging into more and more, and I had to start writing it.**

 **-TCF**

* * *

 _Anything inhuman was treated with harshness ever since the war had ended 200 years ago. This war, between humans and monsters, had caused great turmoil on the surface. The humans, driven by fear and hate, attacked the monsters they had one lived in peace with relentlessly. From those with hate, rumors began to spread of monsters killing and harboring evil intent towards the human race. In the present so many years later, these rumors were accepted as 'facts' and monsters were considered a threat to the human race. If something looked not quite normal, it would quickly be slaughtered by fearful men. Distrust slithered about the surface._

 _It was a day of horror. A woman, alone, was moaning in pain inside a seemingly barren shack. Things seemed to be happening much too fast, this child had not waited long enough. She had been running for so long, it must have caused this. She screamed again as another contraction hit her, her sound echoing through the room. Wondering how long it would be until the men from her village found her, the soon-to-be mother silently willed the child to hurry. She had fled as soon as those words had been muttered to her._

 _"If it isn't normal, it dies."_

 _Like many other mothers in her village, she chose to run and hide. Give birth to the child alone, and hide if something went or appeared wrong. After many hours of exhausting pain, everything seemed to go blue. In what seemed a flash, there was a child on the ground. The pain stopped. Shaking, she crawled over and picked up the infant. With a sigh of relief, she smiled. Everything seemed normal, it was a beautiful baby boy. She quickly shrugged off the notion that something seemed missing._

 _Laughing softly and cradling the sleeping child, she pondered options for names. He was so small, she felt as though something short would fit him. Even in slumber, the child seemed to have a pleasant smile engraved on his face, sans any sort of ill will. It was sudden, and she realized the perfect name._

 _"Sans."_

 _It simply felt right the moment she said it out loud. She continued to cradle Sans, and eventually he began to stir. She whispered into his ear, "Open your eyes, little one," unaware that this brief period of relief and happiness was about to shatter._

 _Sans blinked open his eyes, staring up at his mother in wonder. For only one second, everything seemed normal yet off. Her heart pounding, she looked closer at the child. His right eye seemed perfectly normal, dull and grey, but normal. But the left… she couldn't bear to look at. Blue, not normal. It wasn't at all like most blue eyes, it was somehow shattering to her soul, terrifying. It glowed with furious light._

* * *

 **Twelve years later**

"Sans, we've got to go!"

Sans blinked awake, unaware of what was happening. His brother, Papyrus, had a kind of desperate look of terror in his eyes and was sobbing.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He was beginning to feel worried.

"While you were sleeping here, I-… I was with mom, shopping. These men showed up and cornered us, they kept asking where the other one was…. I think they meant you. She wouldn't answer them, and… she was screaming for me to run... Oh god, Sans… _They snapped her neck, just like that._ "

Sans felt his blood run cold. His soul felt like breaking in two, but he needed to stay strong, for Papyrus. After all, his little brother was only eight. Fighting the urge to sob and forcing all emotion from his face, he stated in monotone the instructions their mother had repeated many times. Go to the mountain. Go to Mt. Ebott and hide, they won't find you there.

Footsteps could be heard coming. They ran, for what felt like forever. The two brothers reached Mt. Ebott, and began to climb. Somehow, Sans always knew this day would come. The day he would have to stop hiding. However, what he did not anticipate, is falling.

Sans had been telling his brother, "You should go back. They don't care about hurting you, you're normal."

Papyrus had a pained expression on his face.

"Sans, I can't just leave you here, you're my brother. You're the only thing I have left."

Sans chuckled softly, his smile not completely genuine.

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"That Mom told me to come here so I could disappear. Pap, you know the stories. People who come here don't ever return."

"I'm not leaving you Sans."

Sans sighed. His little bro could be stubborn when he wanted.

"Fine."

The two continued their trek up the mountainous path, only sometimes pausing to catch their breath. Papyrus was in tears, but he continued smiling. It seemed to the siblings that their path became more and more less clear, fog eventually causing them to be unable to see more than a few feet ahead of them. Sans slipped, and he suddenly could not feel the ground. He heard his brother scream his name, grabbing his wrist but slowly being pulled forward by Sans' weight.

No, his brother was NOT dying too.

"Pap, let go of me."

"...No."

"It's hopeless, you can't pull me back up."

 _"I know."_

"Pap-"

They were falling, Papyrus clinging on to Sans.


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the last two chapters being so short! I'm working up to be able to make them longer, and I'll make it up to you with a longer one now. :) Also, in my headcanon, Chara is female. I'm getting more and more invested in this story! Also, thanks for the favorites, follows, and the wonderful review I received. It really helps me keep going!**

 **-TCF**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Hours later.**

Every inch of his body felt as though it was breaking apart. It was an effort even attempting to open his eyes. He scanned the room. A few feet away from him, Papyrus was sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. Sans scrambled to his feet, shoving away every protest his pain gave as he moved towards his brother. Still breathing. He sighed in relief, then wondering what to do next. It seemed the two of them had fallen from the peak of the mountain, judging by the faint light seen above him. How are they alive? The boy sat down on a nearby rock.

 _"Hey! Get off!"_

Sans fell forward onto the ground in disbelief. Did the rock… just talk? Dumbfounded, he couldn't summon any words.

 _"You look freaked out. It's very ill-mannered to ignore someone like this. Cat got your tongue?"_

The kid shuffled his feet. "S-sorry."

 _"That's more like it. Don't worry about it, I forgive you. I'm out."_

"Wait-" But the rock had slided away and disappeared. Sans had no idea what to do.

He called out for help. But nobody came. He couldn't leave his brother unconscious, so he waited. Stomach growling, Sans wondered if he would ever taste ketchup again. How long had it been since he last ate? How long would it be until he ate? Would he even eat again? Would he die here, waiting for nothing to happen? A young sounding voice broke him out of his thought train.

"Hey, um, you look kind of lost."

In front of him was a goat-looking humanoid creature of some sort. It was white and furry, wearing a green turtleneck sweater, with a kind, patient smile.

"Um, hi." He tried to grin back at whatever he was staring at.

"Howdy! My name is Asriel."

"...Uh, Sans."

"What wrong with your eye?"

"Um, it's just like that." Asriel shrugged and seemed to not really care.

"Are you okay?"

Sans scratched the back of his head, muttering, "Yeah, but I'm not so sure about my brother."

Asriel had a look of worry as he stared at the unconscious form on the ground. "Is he… alive?"

"Yeah, he's breathing."

For a minute, Asriel looked torn, as though trying to make a decision, then muttering quickly and decisively, "I'll be right back," and scampering away.

Once again, Sans was alone with nobody to speak to. He stepped over to his brother and sat down next to him, fiddling his thumbs as he waited. Although he knew Papyrus couldn't hear him, he spoke.

"Hey Pap. I have no idea where we are, but it seems like we're going to get help. Please wake up soon, I don't know what I'd do without you, kid. You were right, we can't leave each other."

* * *

It was only minutes before Asriel returned, holding hands with… another human?! She had short brown hair that covered her eyes, was wearing a green and yellow striped sweater, with an innocent smile. Somehow though, something seemed a bit scary about the girl to Sans. Her gaze pierced into his SOUL. Nevertheless, he was glad to see somebody of his own species.

Asriel was the first to break the silence. "Hey, Sans, is it? This is my best friend, **Chara**."

The girl shyly muttered quietly, "Hey…"

Sans was grinning from ear to ear. These kids seemed nice. Behind him, he heard a slight groaning that echoed the halls. The boy spun around, letting out a yelp of delight and dashing to his brother. He immediately put his arm around Papyrus, supporting him as the younger sibling sat up.

"Hey bro! Papyrus, you alright?" Papyrus groaned and rubbed a bruise on his arm, which Sans guessed was the side he landed on.

"Yes, Sans! I will be fine, but I have seen better days."

The younger (but somehow taller) brother stood up shakily and smiled. Sans felt weak in the knees with relief. Everyone was okay, everything would be fine! He turned to Asriel.

"So, uh… Can you show us the way back outside?" He looked hopeful.

The monster's face fell. He glanced at Chara, the ground, Chara again with guilt, and slowly began to speak, "There isn't a way out of the underground, I'm… I'm sorry."

"...Oh."

Somehow, Sans didn't really feel very disappointed, but Papyrus seemed optimistic.

"Sans! We can just stay down here and make friends, right?!"

"Yeah, bro."

Chara and Asriel walked away a short distance and stood huddled together, appearing to be arguing about something. Sans could make out a faint "that's not okay, Chara," and "okay, we'll do that." The two friends returned to Sans, Chara looking somewhat frustrated but Asriel excited.

"We're going to take you to see Gerson."

"Gerson?"

"Yeah, you should be able to rest there and we can go tell our parents that you guys are here, and get more help."

Sounded like a plan. "Okay."'

The small group walked silently through what Sans and Papyrus understood to be the RUINS, until Asriel piped up and told them the story of monsters and humans and the underground.

"We eventually decided to move out of the ruins, considering it was too crowded. Ha, dad decided to name our new place 'New Home.' He's so good at naming things!"

Chara rolled her eyes, "Not."

Asriel protested, "C'mon Chara, you've got to give him some credit! It's pretty practical, don't you think?"

"Fine, whatever."

They eventually reached a small tunnel when Asriel opened a door. "We're in Snowdin now!"

Somehow, in the underground, it was snowing peacefully. Sans and Papyrus were in awe. Everywhere, creatures were conversing happily. A small humanoid bunny ran up to Asriel and beamed. Asriel replied with a friendly "Howdy there!" Many monsters seemed to recognize Asriel and Sans could almost swear he heard someone call him "your majesty". Everyone seemed so happy and relaxed, a feeling that was not familiar on the surface. Sans and Papyrus beamed at each other. Everything was finally going to be okay.

* * *

It had been hours of walking, but they were now in Waterfall. After running from a village, climbing a mountain, being hurt by falling, and traveling such a long ways, Sans and Papyrus were exhausted. His feet were beginning to feel numb, muscles protested with each step, and his eyes were heavy. Sans, being the shortest, was worse for wear than his brother, who although tired, took much longer strides and had no trouble keeping up unlike Sans. He hoped they weren't noticing his falling behind. They eventually reached a wide river.

"Ah, we're going to have to jump across," Asriel informed them.

He could feel his stomach churn. _What if he couldn't make it across?_ Asriel and Chara made the leap together with ease, obviously having been accustomed to this area. Papyrus had a running start, and barely made the jump. Everyone looked at Sans expectantly, who glanced longingly at the other side.

 _What..?_ In a flash, he simply found himself next to his brother, who exclaimed,

"Whoah! Sans, _how did you do that?_ "

"Do what?"

" _Teleport_ like that? You were there, and the next moment you were here. I never saw you jump!"

What if everybody thought he was a freak? What should he say?

"Ah, it was just a shortcut."

Chara stepped up to the small boy, her intruding gaze making Sans uncomfortable.

 **"Your eye…"**

"Whaddaboutit?" Sans tried to play it cool, but he could feel sweat dripping down his neck.

 **"It's glowing. _Why_?"**

 _"It just does that sometimes."_ It seemed that the only way Sans could hide his panic, _was to have **no emotion at all.**_


	4. Chapter 3

**Welp, haven't really gotten any more feedback recently, but I guess I'll keep these chapters coming. Reviews are much appreciated! I hope the direction this story is taking is a good one…**

 **-TCF**

 **Chapter 3**

Everyone had been silent since the 'incident' with Sans' eye. Asriel seemed to brush it off as something that didn't matter, Papyrus was used to seeing his brother have strange moments, but Chara continued to steal skeptical glares at Sans, who was feeling more tired by the second. They were trudging through a strange room, where Asriel would press glowing mushrooms to light up their paths. The monster decided to break the silence.

"Hey, you should probably learn how things work around here. Do you know what your stats are?"

Sans and Papyrus looked equally confused. "Stats?"

"Yes, here in the underground we use magic to determine our strengths and weaknesses. You have to look deep within yourself, and the numbers will come to your mind. Try checking your HP, or Hit Points."

Both Papyrus and Sans, feeling curious, decided to try just that. He wasn't exactly sure what to do though, so he just kind of thought to himself, ' _What are my stats?'_ He heard a voice, or perhaps just his mind speaking to him, mutter words and numbers.

 _ **LV 1**_

 _ **HP 17/20**_

 _ **AT 1**_

 _ **DF 1**_

 _ **EXP 0**_

Papyrus had a strange expression, while Sans was feeling more confused by the second. His head hurt.

"Um, what do all of these acronyms stand for?"

"Your attack and defense represent how much you can hurt or be damaged, and HP is the capacity at which you can take damage before death. Your EXP stands for ' **execution points**.' Once you get enough EXP, your LOVE increases."  
"What's love?"

"It stands for **Level of Violence**."

Sans shivered. "Um, good to know." He was feeling a bit overwhelmed with so many new things as well as the knowledge that his worth and innocence was now summed up in numbers. The group continued on, until Sans jumped in surprise as he heard a whisper behind him.

" _I wish… I wish we could reach the surface again…"_

He and Papyrus looked around, unable to tell who made that noise. Sans' headache was evolving into a migraine.

Asriel piped up, "Ah, you don't know about echo flowers! They repeat the last thing they heard, over and over…"

The echo flower, well, echoed, " _Ah, you don't know about echo flowers! They repeat the last thing they heard, over and over…"_

Papyrus stated in a silly matter-of-fact way, "That is very strange."

Sans was about to agree with his brother, but very all of a sudden became dizzy and stumbled backwards, the left side of his brain screaming in agony. Papyrus, with a worried expression, threw his arm behind his brother and was supporting Sans' weight. The child could feel his left eye pulsing with a glow, and the world went black.

 _ **LV 1**_

 _ **HP 17/19**_

 _ **AT 1**_

 _ **DF 1**_

 _ **EXP 0**_

The first thing Sans noticed when he awoke was that strange voice in his head, muttering his stats. _Strange,_ Sans wondered. _I could have sworn that my maximum HP was just at 20…_ Was there something wrong with him, or was he imagining things? He scratched his head in confusion, until Papyrus' voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Sans, are you okay?"

Still in the dim room, he was laying on the ground, with Papyrus, Asriel, and Chara crowded around him. They all were wide eyed with a worried expression on their faces, even that strange one, Chara. He looked at her inquisitively, but the girl quickly looked away and returned to a neutral expression. _Maybe she doesn't not care…? Ugh, double negatives._ Sans shook his head. Now was _not_ the time to be pondering over some stranger's feelings. He rose to his feet shakily and answered his brother.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Asriel placed a paw on his shoulder, staring down at him. "Are you sure? You were out for a good fifteen minutes, and you look paler than usual."

Chara stepped in, muttering to the boys, "All the more reason to find Gerson more quickly. He has food and a place to rest."

And so, they moved forward. It was at a much slower pace than before, with both Papyrus and Asriel constantly glancing at Sans and asking if he was alright. After what felt like a lifetime of walking, Chara informed them that just ahead was Gerson's cave. The group picked up their pace, eager to finally rest and relax, until reaching a door-sized entrance to a cave. Asriel stepped inside, calling out, "Gerson, you there?"

A comedic voice echoed through the cave. "Whoah there, kids. Come in. Whatcha doin out so late?"

They stepped inside, where a middle aged turtle was sitting with a hat, and a yellow shirt was sitting.

"We've been helping our new friends, Sans and Papyrus. They fell down." Asriel gestured to the brothers.

"Wha, ha ha, make yourselves comfortable!" The turtle winked at them. Sans smiled and said "thanks" sheepishly. He and Papyrus flopped down on a nearby couch, finally relieving their exhausted muscles.

Asriel and Chara said their goodbyes, assuring everyone that they would come back tomorrow with their parents to decide their options. Gerson was incredibly friendly, offering tea as well as apple pie. Everyone was sharing bad jokes, laughing, and generally having a good time. Everyone seemed so happy. After eating, Sans could feel his eyes becoming increasingly heavy, and eventually ended up sprawled out on the couch, knocked out in slumber.

He awoke the next day with Papyrus snoring next to him and frowned. Something was wrong. Something that didn't feel right about his body, as if it were _lighter, and empty_. Hesitantly, Sans checked his stats.

 _ **LV 1**_

 _ **HP 12/12**_

 _ **AT 1**_

 _ **DF 1**_

 _ **EXP 0**_

Something was most definitely, very much wrong.

 _Uh oh._


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for the reviews. 3 I know I'm not getting many, but even one really keeps me motivated to keep writing, knowing somebody wants to know what happens next. I will try my best to serve! But really, thank you.**

 **-TCF**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Sans couldn't understand why. Maybe he was going mental? His HP seemed to be lowering itself, and for god knows what reason. Glancing cautiously over at Papyrus, who was sleeping soundly, he slowly crept out of his brothers embrace to find a mirror and take a good look at himself. While tiptoeing quietly away from the couch, a loud voice made him jump and (unfortunately) snapped Papyrus out of his slumber.

"Wha-ha! Hello, kids! I've made waffles!"

"Wowie! I love waffles!"

Sans couldn't help but smirk at Papyrus. His brother was always happy. He decided he'd take this moment to ask Gerson for what he needed, a mirror.

"Gerson, buddy. Do you have a bathroom? I eh, need to freshen up."

The turtle burst into laughter. "Wha-ha-ha! You teenagers and your appearances! Yeah, I have a toilet, take a left down the hallway."

"Thanks."

While Papyrus and Gerson struck up a conversation and were digging into waffles, Sans stepped away and trudged down said hallway, slouched over with his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked around, seeing photos of the turtle in what appeared to be some sort of ancient military uniform during his younger years. How old was this guy anyway? Sans was aware that on the surface, turtles could live quite a long time. Perhaps the underground turtles were the same. The walls were rocky, but somehow comfortable and welcoming at the same time. He turned left, stepping into a bathroom surprisingly similar to the one's from his old home. It had a toilet, a sink, a mirror, bath, and medicine cabinets. The only thing out of the ordinary he noticed was what looked like some kind of shell-scrubber, which made sense considering their host. After closing the door behind him, he turned to the mirror.

The first thing Sans noticed was how pale and thin he looked, his veins easily showing through his nearly translucent skin. The paleness sort of made sense, considering having been underground for a short while. But it must to have taken much longer than a day for him to change this drastically… And for as long as he could remember, no matter what sorts of diets and exercises he tried, Sans was unable to lose his chubby stature. So why now? Perhaps the underground was having much more of a toll on his body than he realized.

His eye was glowing at this moment, much brighter than it had anytime before. Sans hoped it was just the lighting, and there wasn't anything going wrong. Having learned over his childhood years to somewhat control it, he willed the glowing to die down. The light slowly faded, leaving his eye with just clear blue.

"Sans! Brother, are you done in there?"

Papyrus could be heard from the other side of the door with a giddy ring to his voice. Sans quickly rinsed his face with water before unlocking and opening the door and greeting his brother's silly smile with a grin and responding.

"Yep."

"Gerson said he received mail from Asriel and his parents! Apparently Chara wasn't feeling too well, and they're going to stay home today to rest. He recommended that we explore Waterfall!" Papyrus looked overjoyed at the idea of exploration.

Although Sans was weary and stressed out by the changes happening to him, his brother didn't seem to notice. He very much wished to keep it that way, so that Papyrus wouldn't worry. All that mattered to him now was making Papyrus was happy.

"Ok. Let's go then."

After finishing the waffles, and changing into a slightly too large pair of clothes that apparently Asriel and Chara sent in a package by mail, they bid farewell to Gerson and assured him they would be back by dinner time. Sans took in a deep breath and stepped out of the entrance to the cave with Papyrus and continuing forward, making sure to stick to the same path so they wouldn't get lost. An underlying concern for these strange changes was crawling up his spine, but considering the fact that he didn't feel sick or any weaker, Sans decided it was okay.

* * *

The underground felt huge, and the idea of exploring it further and meeting more friends filled the two brothers with excitement. As the duo made their way through waterfall, they noticed many entrancing and beautiful things. There were beautiful sparkling stones on the ceiling, which reminded Sans of stars. Papyrus enthusiastically pointed out how the phrases all the echo flowers were whispering seemed to harmoniously combine with the sound of the waterfall into a strange ensemble of music. They decided to sit down and rest on a bridge and enjoy their surroundings.

"Wowie! Sans, doesn't the underground feel peaceful? I love it!"

"Yep." He grinned at his brother, glad that Papyrus was pleased, "Things seem to be turning out alright, eh?"

"Yes! I agree with your statement, Sans! I like our new home very much!"

His younger (but somehow larger) brother's smile faltered at the mention of " _home,"_ remembering the way life used to be. Although they lived in isolation from the rest of society, the small family would often spend nights around a campfire, coming up with silly stories, playing games, and enjoying good food. Their mother would hold the two of them tight in embrace while they would stare up into the stars, picking out constellations and giggling at funny clouds. But now, she was dead. Their beloved home was no more. Along with Papyrus and Sans, the brothers' lives had fallen down too.

"Sans, I'm glad I came up that mountain with you." Papyrus appeared pained as he spoke, a small tear running down his face. "If you had left me behind, I… I don't know what I'd do without my brother." While saying brother, his voice cracked. His speaking drained down into a whisper. " _I miss mom."_

"I miss her too. A lot. Pap, I don't know what I'd do without you either." He pulled his brother into a tight hug.

The two brothers spent many moments on that bridge without words, listening to the sounds of echo flowers and the waterfall holding each other. Sans and Papyrus had bagged their emotions too much for the last two days. They cried together, mourning the loss of their beloved mother. But somehow, there were also a fleeting feeling of both happiness and hope, combining with their anger and sadness. After all, they knew now that their life held a good future.

This hopefulness, these feelings of purpose, this was DETERMINATION.


End file.
